TGEA 1.7 AFXbeta1 'gentle rolling terrain
by Andy Hubbard · in Torque Game Engine Advanced · 04/19/2008 (9:41 am) · 3 replies
Hi all,
I am using L3DT to produce a heightmap of a gentle rolling terrain. I just want a base for several mega terrains stitched together, so would like to use L3DT in edge wrapping mode to create a 512x512 heightmap with a height range from 1m to 10m. I can get the heightmap exported from L3DT as a 512x512 16bit png file easily enough.
But! When I create a mega terrain using this heightmap the gentle rolling terrain turns into a very jagged terrain that has height variation of 100s of meters. I have tried adjusting the heightmap scale to 0.00015 (10/65536) (alt range / png bit depth), but changing this value seems to have minimal effect. I would like to use a terrain square size of 4.
Does anyone know what I may be doing wrong, or maybe can suggest a better way of producing the effect I need?
Cheers,
Andy
I am using L3DT to produce a heightmap of a gentle rolling terrain. I just want a base for several mega terrains stitched together, so would like to use L3DT in edge wrapping mode to create a 512x512 heightmap with a height range from 1m to 10m. I can get the heightmap exported from L3DT as a 512x512 16bit png file easily enough.
But! When I create a mega terrain using this heightmap the gentle rolling terrain turns into a very jagged terrain that has height variation of 100s of meters. I have tried adjusting the heightmap scale to 0.00015 (10/65536) (alt range / png bit depth), but changing this value seems to have minimal effect. I would like to use a terrain square size of 4.
Does anyone know what I may be doing wrong, or maybe can suggest a better way of producing the effect I need?
Cheers,
Andy
#2
Not that a value of 4 stands up to my interpretation --- if you have a height range of 10m in your heightmap, and that heightmap is 16bits, i.e. 65536 grey levels, then every grey level in the heightmap should equal 10/65536 meters, which is ~0.00015m per grey level.
But, 4 worked, so I am happy :) I have a gently rolling terrain, with the peaks at ~10m ;)
Thanks again.
Andy
04/19/2008 (2:04 pm)
Thanks Jeff, reducing the clamp so I could put in a heightmap scale of 4 seemed to get just the terrain I am after.Not that a value of 4 stands up to my interpretation --- if you have a height range of 10m in your heightmap, and that heightmap is 16bits, i.e. 65536 grey levels, then every grey level in the heightmap should equal 10/65536 meters, which is ~0.00015m per grey level.
But, 4 worked, so I am happy :) I have a gently rolling terrain, with the peaks at ~10m ;)
Thanks again.
Andy
#3
Everything I can remember reading about legacy terrain suggests using 8 or 24 bit png files. The same may be true for mega terrains.
04/19/2008 (3:10 pm)
Try exporting your heightmap from L3DT as a 512x512 8 bit and/or 24 bit png file. I've created mega terrains using both 8 and 24 png files and they all look more or less like what I expected.Everything I can remember reading about legacy terrain suggests using 8 or 24 bit png files. The same may be true for mega terrains.
Associate Jeff Faust
Faust Logic, Inc.